NDTV:
New Delhi: Thursday, 04 December 2014.
With more and
more Indians connecting to the Internet, it's no surprise that many of our
government agencies are also going online. Because of this it's easier than
ever to do things like apply for a passport or get a copy of your Aadhaar card.
Since these digital services are new, people don't always know how to make use
of them, but we're here to help. This week, we're going to show you how to file
a Right to Information (RTI) application online.
The Right to
Information Act 2005 makes it mandatory for the Indian government to issue a
timely response to citizens' requests for information in the public domain.
Filing an RTI application is a very simple process unlike most other requests
to the government. You can easily file an RTI application online, but you need
to know a few details to do so.
For one
thing, you can't file an RTI application for certain kinds of information such
as matters concerning national security or if the data you seek could
compromise someone's safety or privacy. You can find the full list of
information you can't request here. The Right to Information is powerful, and
these restrictions are in place to ensure that it isn't misused.
The other
important thing about filing an RTI plea online is that you need to submit it
to the correct authorities. There are different RTI authorities for Central and
state governments, and you will have to send your query to the correct
department as well. RTI applications for State Authorities will be rejected,
but according to the website, if your application is sent to the wrong Public
authority in the Central government, it can be transferred to the correct
authority by the nodal officer. The full government guide to RTI is available
here.
The following
steps will tell you how to file an RTI plea online in just few minutes This
guide focuses on sending an RTI application to Central government bodies. Not
all state government bodies let you file an RTI application online yet - on
most of the state's sites, you can just download the forms.
Here's how
to file the application with the Central Government.
1.
Go
to the RTI website and click on Submit Request. Alternatively, click to go to
the RTI application page, here.
2.
Check
I have read and understood the above guidelines and click Submit.
You
can now begin filling in the form for submitting an RTI application. Pick the
correct Ministry and department and fill in your contact details. You have to
enter your email id to complete the application, but if you want SMS alerts
about the status of your application, then you can also enter your mobile phone
number. If you don't know
the public authority to file your application with, use the search bar on top -
it will help choose the ministry/ department and public authority.
You
have to fill the entire form - so for example, even if you are not below the
poverty line, you need to choose the correct option from the drop down menu.
Click the menu, and select No (or Yes, if applicable - this waives the fee for
submitting the plea).
3.
Next
to Text for RTI Request application, you can write your RTI request. This form
limits you to 3,000 characters.
4.
If
your request exceeds 3,000 characters, or if you need to submit documents to
support the application, click Choose File next to Supporting document. You can
upload a pdf file up to 1MB in size with your plea.
5.
Enter
the characters in the image next to Enter security code.
6.
Click
Submit.
7.
The
fee for submitting an RTI application is Rs. 10. You can pay that via
credit/debit card or net banking on the next page.
8.
Once
you've paid, you will be shown an acknowledgement with a unique registration
number for your RTI plea. This will be sent to you via SMS and email as well.
9.
You
can check the status of your RTI application on this page.
10. Have you ever filed an RTI plea
online? Tell us about your experience via the comments. For more tutorials,
visit our How To section.https://rtionline.gov.in/
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